In many reel storage applications, it is very desirous to use a so-called split reel wherein at least one flange thereof may be quickly released from the hub so as to allow a wound supply of elongated material, such as in the form of scrap wire, to be readily removed en masse from the hub for reprocessing.
In one prior reel employed for that purpose heretofore, the hub is formed of complementary sections made out of rather expensive case bronze, with the hub being split along a transversely-oriented zig/zag center line. A portion of one of the split hub sections is further formed with threads along an inner bore-defining wall area thereof, with such threaded portion being adapted to engage a complementary threaded portion of an inner core fixedly secured to the other split hub and flange section. Such a split reel is not only rather expensive to construct, but also does not provide for the quick release of one hub section and flange from the other one, as is often desired in many industrial applications. In addition, a special tool is required in order to rotate and, thereby, threadably engage (or disengage) the two split hub sections.
W. A. Newton, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,013,378 discloses a flanged bobbin adapted for handling yarn wherein one flange is releasably secured to the adjacent end of the bobbin core or hub through the use of either a threaded hub-flange interconnection, or a hub-secured bayonet and flange-formed cam groove type interconnection. With respect to both of the aforementioned types of hub flange interconnections, they normally are not applicable for high speed bi-directional reel rotation, because of the danger of the releasable flange becoming unthreaded (or bayonet-released) from the hub, unless both the hub and flange are in some way keyed to the reel support shaft. In many industrial applications, however, it is desirous to utilize circular reel support shafts with no keying provisions so as to allow the quick changing of reels supported thereon. In addition, in large reel industrial wire winding applications, it is also normally desirous to form the reel hubs and flanges of sheet stock material as thin as possible (without compromising necessary structural rigidity) so as to minimize the weight of the reel. This often makes it impossible to provide reliable hub-flange interconnections of either the threaded or bayonet-cam groove engaging types.
There has been a further need for a split reel having a specially configured hub that would not only facilitate the removal of a wound supply of relatively heavy material, such as scrap wire, en masse therefrom, but at the same time produce a non-uniform winding pattern that would allow an operator to easily visually differentiate between otherwise indistinguishable reels of scrap versus good wire, for example.
H. F. Mozina et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,836,093 discloses a wire holding barrel constructed of two flanges that permanently support four longitudinally extending and circumferentially disposed arcuate staves, with each of the latter preferably having a continually increasing radius along the length thereof. As such, the staves define a barrel hub with an effective circumference that varies from a maximum adjacent one flange to a minimum adjacent the other flange. The described purpose of such staves is to prevent a problem referred to as "dishing" of the flanges when the reel is wound with a supply of wire. However, as the staves are necessarily fixedly secured to both flanges, there is no way that such staves may also be used to readily remove a wound supply of scrap wire en masse therefrom.